Every episode of The Witcher season 3, ranked from worst to best

Not much better: Episode 302, “Unbound”

Episode 2 gives us a lot of exposition, which is necessary on a show like this, but too many sequences felt disconnected from the main action. The Witcher has never been friendly toward a casual audience; there are a lot of references to catch and facts to remember.

This episode has several scenes that don’t make much sense even when put in context. Some felt a bit random, as if they were originally meant to be in a different episode, like the scenes involving Fringilla as a prisoner in Nilfgaard and being used as a royal taster. Perhaps it’s because we are yet to see the payoff. Still, it seems like her scenes might have benefitted from being placed later in the season.

Similarly, we know Emperor Emhyr as a cryptic and enigmatic figure far removed from the main storyline and the other characters. His eager conversation with the dwarf swordsmith made little sense. If it was intended to provide useful exposition, it completely failed, leaving me with more questions about him than before.

Wait, no more? How is this the end? Episode 308, “The Cost of Chaos”

The final episode of The Witcher season 3 doesn’t feel like an ending. So much is left open, and that’s without considering that Henry Cavill will be replaced by Liam Hemsworth next season.

After various episodes where the plot did not advance, the writers were forced to cram too much into the season finale. A ton happens in “The Cost of Chaos.”

Fringilla and Francesca double-cross Emhyr only to fall out with each other. I liked the sequences in Redania, where idler coward Vizimir is disappointed with Dijkstra and orders Philippa killed, which amounts to him signing his own death warrant; Philippa and Dijkstra come out on top by crowning an unwilling Radovid who they clearly intend to exploit. We are also introduced to a new character in Brokilon: Milva.

We see a completely different Tissaia than the one we know. I did not enjoy how the writers handled Tissaia’s suicide, which does happen in the books, but for different reasons. On the show, Tissaia doesn’t kill herself because she feels responsible for so much death, but because she’s ashamed she let herself love Vilgefortz and be deceived by his lies. I could have taken her guilt, but not her quiet self-loathing, nor the way she takes her own life like a Greek hero because she can’t live with the shame. Tissaia says it’s the cost of her power, but what is the cost for everyone else?

Perhaps as a way to acknowledge Henry Cavill’s journey as Geralt of Rivia, this episode contains many bittersweet nods to the series’ beginning: Renfri, “Piglet”, Dara, and one final unnecessary but cool fight scene. His love and dedication for this role will be missed.